The present invention relates generally to wheeled carts and more particularly to maneuverable self-propelled carts.
Self-propelled carts are widely used by workers in many industries to move heavy or unwieldy loads. Typically, self-propelled carts may be adapted to a wide variety of applications. For example, workers in the construction industry may use self-propelled wheelbarrows, stands, and the like to transport construction supplies, debris, and other materials in and around a construction site. Similarly, workers in a manufacturing plant or warehouse may employ self-propelled hand trucks to move heavy pallets of equipment or inventory.
In an exemplary application, carts or gurneys having a stretcher or bed surface are often used in the health care industry to move patients from place to place within a hospital. However, when a heavy patient is placed on the bed surface of such a gurney, the resulting inertia of the gurney-patient combination may make the gurney difficult to move unless some means of powered propulsion is provided.
Often, self-propelled carts are used to maneuver loads over rough ungraded ground, over uneven surfaces, or in confined spaces where the advantage of self-propulsion may be lost. For example, a hospital attendant may have to maneuver a self-propelled gurney over an obstacle or up a ramp wherein the gurney""s drive wheels are lifted from the floor. To move the gurney further, the attendant may have to physically push or pull the gurney himself leading to the possibility of injury.
For these reasons, it would be advantageous to provide a maneuverable self-propelled cart capable of maneuver over rough ungraded ground, uneven surfaces, or in confined spaces.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a maneuverable self-propelled cart comprised of a drive assembly having independently suspended drive wheels that propel the cart over rough or uneven surfaces. The drive assembly is comprised of a drive wheel carriage having at least two drive wheels. The drive wheel carriage may include a turntable or the like adapted to rotate the carriage about a substantially vertical axis relative to the frame of the cart. Each drive wheel may be independently suspended beneath the cart frame by a suspension apparatus. The suspension apparatus preferably allows each drive wheel to individually engage a ground or floor surface. A reversible motor may be operably coupled to each drive wheel. This motor may rotatably drive the drive wheel to move the cart or rotate the drive wheel carriage.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the invention claimed. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate an embodiment of the invention and together with the general description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.